Pretty Dead Things

A Novel

By: Kelsey Cox

Narrated by: Andrew Eiden, Brittany Pressley, Mia Wurgaft, Saskia Maarleveld, Stevi Incremona​

Secrets emerge as a Texas beauty pageant turns deadly in this rich and addictive novel with a jaw-dropping twist from psychological suspense author Kelsey Cox.

This program features multicast narration.

2000: Isabelle Whitmore vanishes at Sherman Ranch in Anhalt, Texas, without a trace.

2025: The Lone Star Princess Pageant is about to begin, but this year it’s offering more than an annual dose of rhinestone heels and plunging necklines. Competition is stiffer than ever —and long standing grudges are about to resurface. Ingrid fled Anhalt in the wake of her sister Isabelle’s disappearance and has now returned, just in time for a construction crew to start digging up Sherman Ranch; the pageant brings up past traumas that Melanie can't forget; Cat, newly sober, starts to feel threatened in ways that bring back old demons; and Sarah Lynn, who comes from a long line of pageant winners, knows that losing is not an option.

When old resentments and new confrontations reach their boiling point, temperatures drop to deadly degrees as a record-setting storm brings down the state’s power grid. With everyone trapped under one roof, scores will be settled, and more than one person will end up dead.

Beauty dies. Secrets never do.

KELSEY COX'S NOVELS ARE:

"Riveting." —People

"Heart-pumping." —Nina Simon

"Jaw-dropping." —Amanda Eyre Ward

"Joins my auto-buy list forever." —Rachel Hawkins

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books

Fabulous New Author on the Scene

I found Kelsey Cox through a thriller subreddit and have devoured both of her novels within the last week. I am such a sucker for a multi-perspective story and I love how despite how many characters there are, you understand each and every one of them both by their distinct personalities and motivating factors. The entanglement between mothers and daughters in this story was also interesting, as you watched the 2026 pageant girls fighting for their friendship while balancing the weight of their mothers' pasts.

You can also tell this author knows her genre well, as she avoids a lot of the stereotypical thriller tropes we all see coming and groan at. Instead, her breadcrumbs throughout the plot reveal in a truly spectacular way. The big reveal was an absolute jaw dropper, 10/10, no notes, home run. So excited to have found this author and can't wait to see what she does in the future.

Gave it 4 stars because there are some chapters narrated by female characters that were voiced by a male actor, which was odd and didn't fit the rest of the audiobook. Absolutely loved the story, though!

Plot twist!!!!

I really enjoyed this book it, I thought I knew who did it. Totally surprised!

I think I have whiplash!!

Oh my!! I did not see the twist at the end coming! The story was so good! All the high school girls and guys at "the hollow" at the lake, and then what they find in the cave!!! The girls in the pageant played pranks on one another, not knowing that something's follow you all your life.

I thought I had this one figured out. I did not.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ PRETTY DEAD THINGS by Kelsey Cox

I thought I had this one figured out. I did not.

Cox sets up exactly who you think did it — and then absolutely does not go where you expect. I was shook. Genuinely sat there in awe when it clicked.

If you love a thriller that plays fair but still pulls the rug out from under you, this is it.

A complex mystery with lots of twists!

How can one novel be both a beautifully written insight into the complexity of human relationships and a twisty, can’t-put-down thriller? There were so many little threads and details woven through this story, but Cox managed to weave them together and tie everything up into a satisfying, albeit shocking, conclusion! Masterful writing! The performances on Audible also deserve mention…they were all standouts!